The Sorting
by TheChosenFangirl37
Summary: The beginning of a Harry Potter AU that I wrote in the tenth grade. One-shot.


Lord of the Flies-Hogwarts AU-1946

Simon POV

The Sorting

Simon's whole body shook as he walked through the Great Hall. He clutched his hands together focusing all his thoughts on not fainting. At the other side of the crowd, Jack Merridew was walking proudly through the crowd of first years as if he owned the whole school already. Simon scowled. Merridew was an utter Slytherin if ever there had been one. Simon looked at all the students sitting at the tables and wondered which one he would be sitting at in a few minutes. He knew he wanted Hufflepuff, it seemed by far the most friendly. He supposed Ravenclaw or Gryffindor wouldn't be too bad, but he knew he could not, would not, be a Slytherin. He hated snakes, he hated being underground, and most of all he hated being in charge. He hated being looked to for the answers and would do anything to stay in the shadows his whole life. There was no way in hell Simon could be ambitious, cunning, or even resourceful.

All the first years stopped walking when they reached the front of the room. Simon slammed into the boy in front of him. The fair-haired boy Simon knew all too well whipped around.

"Hey, watch where you're- oh sorry Simon, I didn't even recognize you in that robe," Ralph whispered. Simon smiled, but Ralph didn't notice the melancholy that filled his face when he recognized him. Ralph turned back around, and the smile melted off Simon's face.

At that moment, Headmaster Dippet chose to begin the sorting; "My dearest students, welcome to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Professor Dumbledore, the names please." Simon zoned out, staring at the ever-changing sky until he heard a name he recognized.

"Sam Baker," Sam scurried up to the stool and plopped the hat on his head. "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat proclaimed loudly. Sam walked to sit at the Gryffindor table, to a polite smattering of applause. Simon nodded quietly in agreement. He watched as Eric was given the same result, and then sat himself down next to his brother. When another girl was called up Simon zoned out again. The stormy ceiling reminded him of the smoky sky over the island after the fire. He squinted his eyes and tried to repress the memory. The recollection still wormed its way into his head. He remembered the screams of chaos and the heat on his face. Other memories swam in his head. He remembered the sound of the pig Jack had caught roasting over the flames. He remembered the smooth curve of the conch shell Ralph had forced into his hand. Most of all he remembered the rescue. He remembered the men from the Ministry of Magic explaining how some of the wizards working with the Germans had crashed their plane, hoping the lower the population of young British wizards. _They did their job,_ Simon thought bitterly, remembering the boys with the mulberry birthmark and all the boys who had gone crazy after coming back to the mainland.

A name he knew shook Simon out of his daze. "Ralph Lewis". The blonde boy whose face drifted in and out of Simon's mind walked up to the stool. Simon noticed his hands were shaking and suddenly felt the urge to hug him tight and forget everything that had happened to them. Ralph placed the sorting hat on his head and fixed his mouth into a thin line. Simon waited nervously, tapping his fingers on his thigh. "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled again. Simon sighed, then chastised himself for caring. His days with Ralph were well over, something to be forgotten. He shook his head. Things were hard to forget when every time you saw someone you were reminded of them. Simon watched Ralph take his place between two other students at the Gryffindor table.

The next name brought even worse memories to Simon's mind. "Jack Merridew". The redheaded boy sauntered up to the front of the room and sat on the stool as if it were his throne. Simon scowled. Merridew hadn't been the same since everything had happened on the island. Simon thought he still retained some of the savagery they had adopted when they were stranded. Simon could see it in his eyes whenever Merridew was displeased. It worried him. After a few seconds, the hat announced its conclusion; "SLYTHERIN!".

"Figures," muttered Simon.

Professor Dumbledore called up Simon to the stool next. Simon tried to control his shaking as he sat down. The hat fell over his eyes and whispers began in his head. "Hmm...let's see here. Amazingly loyal, not a bad mind either, kind, incredibly kind. But where to put you?" Simon bit his lip but said nothing to the hat. "Ah yes I have it now. HUFFLEPUFF!" Simon heard the hat scream the last word to the whole room. Simon got up, shaking, and pulled the hat off his head. He heard the polite cheers from the Hufflepuff table and scampered off to join them. He sat down between two other new first years, one of which gave him a high five. Simon smiled brightly at the boy and turned his attention back to the sorting.

Several people passed that Simon didn't know until they arrived at Piggy. "Paul Walker," Simon frowned; he had never known Piggy's real name. It had never seemed that important. When Piggy sat down the hat slipped all the way down over his nose. The kids at the other tables giggled. Simon noticed the Hufflepuff kids refrained from the teasing. He was liking them already.

The hat took its time deciding with Piggy-Paul, Simon corrected himself. Eventually, that hat decided. "RAVENCLAW!" it proclaimed to the room. The table to Simon's right cheered, but it seemed half-hearted. Simon sighed and reflected on the innate bias of humanity. Simon remembered the time on the island Ralph and Jack had refused to let Paul speak even though he had the conch. Simon wondered if there was a spell to erase bad memories. If not, he was about to have a rather horrid seven years.


End file.
